Marnie and Raver are both outsiders. Each is set apart from the community around them: Marnie because she is a newcomer, having been brought to the seaside village by her new - and much older - husband; and Raver because he is the village lunatic.
The distrust surrounding Marnie increases when her husband suddenly dies. Her subsequent isolation pushes her towards Raver - and an important discovery: the villagers have mistaken his deafness for madness.
The two outsiders soon develop a rudimentary sign language. But their precious new friendship is cut short when the villagers misconstrue their strange, private communication, and put Marnie on trial for witchcraft . . .
